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Every day (wtihout exception), the first thing I do after waking is drink a glass or two of water, then after a few minutes I do forty-five minutes to an hour of stretches (lower back, core strengthening, yoga).

Then throughout the day, I also stretch.

I spent twenty years leading other people to do this stuff. Unfortunately, I feel that there is an unspoken stigma against public stretching. One of my students from years ago put it nicely and bluntly. She said something like, "People who are not in tune to stretching or who do not understand it look at others who do it as though they are masturbating."

I have to say I sort of agree. People have no problem with you putting one foot in front of another to walk, OR to use hand gestures to talk. But raise your leg past a certain level, and hold the position for a while, and I get the feel that it causes a subtle form of discomfort for people out of touch with their own bodies.

I believe that people who understand and feel the need to stretch have a greater inborn capacity to do so. In a sense, they have a greater stretch-fitness potential. In my years of experience in this area, I have seen bodies that have natural stretching intelligence and bodies that are stretchwise retarded.

It's like a sense of rhythm - some people do not have it. Others do. Higher civilization seems to favor nonstretchers.

Traditional men also tend to have more resistance to stretching. Gay men tend to be more comfortable with it (again, in my experience).

I'm straight and I stretch, and have stretched for decades. I was known for it as a local fitness guru, and my example inspired many men who otherwise would have been more resistant without a straight male model.

Again, I seem to think the whole idea is tied to our sense of sexuality somehow.

Interesting ideas about the tie-in with sexuality, I see where you are coming from on that one.

Do you know anything of the Alexander Technique, Robert, and if so - is there anything to it? What little I do know of it (a small book) makes it sound almost like a religion! 'the Technique', with a capital T, is a bit frightening imho.

Ummm...how did my question turn into a thread on sexuality? I was just wondering why do I feel as if I need to stretch every so often. Most people stretch to warm up for exercises, but I "feel" as if I need to stretch like every 5 minutes. It's the same feeling when you awake in the morning when you feel you need to stretch.

What's wrong with stretching too much for the sake of pleasure? It makes my entire body feel soooooo good and relaxes me. Almost like a full body massage all at once. Just thinkng about it makes me feel relaxed.

kotoreru wrote:Do you know anything of the Alexander Technique, Robert, and if so - is there anything to it? What little I do know of it (a small book) makes it sound almost like a religion! 'the Technique', with a capital T, is a bit frightening imho.

I took an Alexander Technique class in college to supplement my dance classes. It was very interesting, but I could do with a refresher class.